Despite tall claims by the Naveen Patnaik government over achieving unprecedented economic growth in Odisha under its 16-year rule, the state is in reality the poorest state in India today.
This is what the Economic Survey report for the year 2015-16, tabled in the Parliament today by the Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley, has to say.
Poverty estimates in the Survey indicate that Bihar which had the second highest poverty headcount ratio (HCR) in 2004-05 moved to first place in 2014-15 with the HCR at 33.7 per cent relegating Odisha to first place. While the all India poverty HCR was 21.9 per cent, states like Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh, besides Bihar and Odisha had above all India poverty levels in 2013-14.